I decided while I was in high school that I would join the Army. I went into the Army on Valentines Day. My parents did not go to the train station because they thought I would get a leave after boot camp. They did not know it would be five years before they would see me again.

I did not get a leave after boot camp, but was sent to the Philippine Islands. I was there for eight or nine months. The oldest one in my unit was 23 years old. The Japanese took the island and captured everyone. Some of the nurses and General MacArthur escaped by submarines. The Japanese dropped bombs many times a day. Many men were killed by a railroad track. I received a silver star for dragging men out of a dangerous situation. We were under fire continually. MacArthur told us he would return and I believed him, as did all of the rest of the troops. My Mom never forgave MacArthur for leaving me there. MacArthur did return as he promised, and recaptured the Philippines.

The men were starved and mistreated by the Japanese. But I believed in God and also believed I would return home. My mother never gave up hope and refused to have a memorial for me; she said I was alive. She saw a picture on a "Life" magazine, in which the men were kneeling to the rising sun, and she said she saw me in the picture.

Our food was one cup of rice. I was a survivor. I caught a chicken, cooked him in a can, and sat in the rafters and ate my food; it was great. I would swim in the ocean and catch oysters and eat them right there; as long as we shared with the Japanese. I worked on coal cars with other Japanese. I remember a Japanese man pushing an American out of the way of a train, and the Japanese man lost his life.

The first year of my captivity, (Corregidor / Bilibid / Cabanatuan) I worked building an airfield for the Japanese. Life was not bad because they were afraid of the Major in Charge. His name was Major Wermuth and the Japanese called him "Wermuth the Lion". (Major Arthur Wermuth 57^th Infantry) The Japanese pretty much left us alone.

After a year, we were transferred to Japan. They took us on an old freight ship and we felt fortunate because many of the other ships were sunk by the American’s, because our submarines did not know they were filled with American prisoners. (The Hell Ships). We landed in Moji Japan and were taken to Hirohata Osaka, where we worked in a steel mill. I feel like I was very fortunate because I had been a student and was given the job of shoveling coal. That was much easier than shoveling ore, like others had to do.

My one big mistake was leaving my post before I was relieved; they made me stand outside naked all night in very cold weather. My second mistake was going to beat up a Navy guy, but he and his friends beat me up and threw me outside on my butt.

One of the Japanese "Treatments" was to draw spinal fluid and burn our feet with cork. We could not move during these "Treatments".

One of my best friends from Hannibal was Sweany (Leslie Irwin Sweany – Hamilton Missouri). I wanted to go on the march with them to build an air strip, but the Japanese would not allow me to go because of the ‘berry-berry’ on my legs. (deep sores). While the prisoners were being taken to work the American bombers were close, so the Japanese put the prisoners in a cave and set it on fire. (If a prisoner ran out, the Japanese would shoot them). One of the hardest things I had to do was to tell Sweany’s uncle how he died over there. Sweeney was twenty three years old.

The Palawan Massacre: The Japanese murdered 139 prisoners of war on December 14, 1944 in the city of Puerta Princessa on the island of Palawan.

Several days before the war was over, Navy planes flew over and dropped cigarettes to the prisoners. We pretty much knew the war was about over. Then B-29’s flew over and dropped full bomb bays of food to the men. The Japanese all disappeared.

Photographers came by and took pictures and we saw no ore Americans for a couple of days. We took over a train and went to Tokyo. When we got to Tokyo I had Pneumonia and one of my friends got a medic to take me to the hospital ship. At the time, I thought I would be sent back by ship, which would take a month; but I went out on a plane and was sent to Hawaii. While I was there, two friends visited me whom I had not seen for years; Art Griffin and Bob Somers. I was then flown to a California hospital. When released from California, I was sent to Galesburg hospital, treated, and released to go on leave. I was later discharged from St. Louis. When I was rescued, I weighed 100 pounds. When I was captured, my weight was 210 pounds. My faith and good condition before I was captured helped me to survive.

When I got out of prison camp and out of the Army, I bought my parents some needed household things; stove, refrigerator.

I rejoined the Army because I was tired of working at "Mill’s Auto Shop" for $30 a week. We were separated a lot, but not as much as some military families. One of my first assignments was bringing home bodies of soldiers killed in the war. It was very sad. Then I came back to Camp Carson (Colorado) and we moved to Manitou Springs; I rode a bus to and from Camp Carson.

My next assignment was recruiting duty in Illinois, which was good because I was with my family and was my own boss. After four years on recruiting duty, I was stationed back at Fort Carson.

Then I got orders for Korea. . I was gone from my family for eighteen months.

My tour of Korea was as a 1^st Sgt. Of an 8 inch self propelled gun. We moved many times. Things there were pretty much normal, but we were required to stay alert. Several of us took in an orphan named Kim and helped raise him until we were sent home.

We visited Seoul Korea. It was just a slum town; dirt roads and poor conditions. It is much changed today and looks like a big city on T.V.

When I returned from Korea I was stationed in Ft. Leonardwood, which was an undesirable place to live. To get away from Ft. Leonardwood, I resigned from the Army and got sent back to Ft. Carson. We got stationed back to our home in Colorado Springs. (resignation not accepted)

Then I got orders for Germany. We went without quarters assigned to us and lived on the economy in a German Apartment. I put in for concurrent travel and my friend Case sent a telegram saying we had a place to live.

I enjoyed my stay there, although I was in the field a lot. My family and I enjoyed our three years there. I was stationed at "C" Battery, 1^st Sgt. I was on the atomic guns. I was in charge of 160 men. We finally got quarters at Wertheim. It was called the "Eagles Nest" Fog was always thick until noon, but nice quarters.

I was next assigned to Schweinfurt, which was a good transfer for me and the family. We took a lot of sight seeing trips. Holland was so beautiful. We saw all of the flowers in bloom, but missed the tulips, dikes, and wooden shoes in the doors.

When we came back from Germany, we were stationed at Ft. Riley Kansas; I decided to retire. I found a job after two weeks at "Everett Lumber Company". I sold fences and fire places. We decided to do foster care work in 1963.

I worked at "Everett Lumber Company" for ten years and "Diamond Lumber Company" for fifteen years. I retired in 1987 at sixty five years old.

My health had been good until two years ago when I found out I had "Mya-Loma", which caused the bones to deform, and I was in great pain. They found out I had bone cancer. I am still under treatment and always will be. I enjoy life, but get to feeling down every so often, which I feel is normal because I have always been busy and never liked to sit around.

I have always had everything I wanted; motor-homes, boats, new cars, two new houses; and have worked hard all of my life; and enjoyed it. I have traveled to Hawaii, Nashville, Branson Missouri, Utah, El Paso, or anywhere else I wanted to go. I am thankful that the family is staying healthy and for my grandchildren, who have given me much joy.